The Beguiling is proud to once again welcome one and all to our annual Dinosaur Comics Holiday Party! Things might be tough right now, but that makes getting together with friends, comics, and some secret Santa-ing. This year RyanNorth, creator of Dinosaur Comics and writer of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl will be joined by Chip Zdarsky, writer of the to-be-released-that-day Star Lord from Marvel Comics. We’re also lining up a few other very special guests, but we wanted to let you know to Save The Date first and we’ll update this post with info as it comes in!

If you’ve never been before, Ryan, Chip, and pals will be getting together and signing/mingling with folks, we’ll ask them some fun questions in front of an audience, and there’ll be books there for you to buy and get signed too (courtesy of The Beguiling). Plus, returning for another year is the popular SECRET SANTA trade at the event! Read on for details!

All of this is happening Thursday, December 17th, at Pauper’s Pub (539 Bloor St. W., near Bathurst TTC), on the second floor. We hope we’ll see you there!

We’re holding a SECRET SANTA at this event! Everyone is welcome to participate, but no one has to if they don’t want to because choice is important!

If you would like to participate:
– Please bring a wrapped gift with a monetary value of about $5-$10. Don’t go nuts, but find something cool.
– Go to the book sales table and trade your gift for a numbered ticket.
– At 8:30pm, we’ll call out the numbers, and when your number is called you’ll have your choice of the available gifts!
– Please mark on the outside of the gift if your item contains food and especially if it contains common allergens including peanuts, gluten, etc., so that people with allergies will be able to make an informed Secret Santa Selection.

It’s happening again! #ZDARSCON is the official comic book event of Chip Zdarsky, but this time he’s bringing some special pals to the event! You have no idea what to expect, even if you went last time, because this is nothing like last time or anytime for that matter.

Details will be announced in the #ZDARSCON tag on Twitter on Saturday morning (Follow @zdarsky @thebeguiling & #zdarscon on Twitter for deets), and on the Facebook event page.

#ZDARSCON Facts:

#ZDARSCON is an experience. But, sadly, it will be an experience which lasts for roughly 5-10 minutes per person. Do not travel to Toronto JUST for #ZDARSCON. Just trust Chip on this one.

#ZDARSCON will be located within 5-10 minutes walking of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where we presume nothing related is going on this weekend. Maybe the gift show? Anyway.

#ZDARSCON will announce the MYSTERY LOCATION the morning of! And the signing schedule the night before!

#ZDARSCON will have a selection of books and products from all participating creators available for purchase at the event itself, on the off chance you didn’t get up Saturday morning and lug a box of books downtown.

Ramón Pérez (Hawkeye, A Tale of Sand, Civil War II: Choosing Sides) and Chip Zdarsky (Prison Funnies, Howard the Duck) appear at The Beguiling on Wednesday, August 31st from 5:00 – 7:00 PM! They will be signing the variant cover of Civil War II: Choosing Sides #5 featuring Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau! Copies will be available while supplies last.

Tickets for HeroesCon 2016, which will be held on Friday, June 17th – Sunday, June 19, 2016 at the Charlotte Convention Center, are now available for sale online! HEROES CONVENTION was founded in 1982 by Shelton Drum, owner of Charlotte’s Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find comics shop. Since then the convention has become famous for its comics-first and family-friendly atmosphere, where fans can mingle directly with professionals and exhibitors. Boasting an incredible guest list built mainly on reputation and goodwill, HeroesCon is known nationwide as a “must” on the summer schedule, drawing fans, exhibitors, and creators from all over the world to the Charlotte Convention Center. Get tickets at the link!

Heroes Convention is not only one of the most recognizable names on the comics convention circuit, but has a well-deserved reputation as a convention that puts comics first, meaning aisles packed with fans looking for new comics and comic-related merchandise to check out. Our 2016 HeroesCon will be one of our biggest yet, and booth space is fully expected to sell out well in advance of the show. No space is reserved without payment in full: act now to reserve your 6′ table, 2 chairs and 2 badges!

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is thrilled to announce our initial Featured Guests and Events for TCAF 2016, taking place May 14th and 15th in Toronto, Canada! With over 400 cartoonists scheduled to attend from more than a dozen countries on their way to Toronto this May, we’re getting ready celebrate the very best in comics, graphic novels, bandes dessinées, and manga! Prepare yourself for a week of readings, launches, and art events culminating in a massive, FREE two-day exhibition at Toronto Reference Library, May 14 and 15, 2016!

Every year the Toronto Comic Arts Festival showcases Canada’s incredible comics talent on a world stage by promoting some of our best and brightest creators and publishers, and inviting the attention of the global cartooning community. The 2016 programme builds on our previous successes, with a continued commitment to offer more engaging programming, in multiple formats, focusing on compelling and challenging work being made across the world. Art sales and exhibition, increased programming, and gallery shows are at the core of the 2016 programme, as highlighted by these talented Featured Guests:

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Canadian comics hero Kate Beaton is the creator of beloved humour series Hark! A Vagrant, which has spawned a bestselling book of the same title. In 2015, Beaton released her first picture book, The Princess and the Pony (Scholastic), and a second collection of strips entitled SThe Princess and the Ponyde, Pops (Drawn & Quarterly).Beaton’s work is both expressive and hilarious, possessing a signature style and wit that are uniquely her own. Kate Beaton is one of TCAF’s 2016’s official poster artists, and we will be revealing her official poster in the next few weeks!

Duncan Fegredo has been on the North American comics scene since illustrating Kid Eternity (DC Comics) with writer Grant Morrison. Since then he’s gone on to illustrate a number of critically acclaimed works, including Enigma (DC Comics) with writer Peter Milligan,and a much-lauded run on Hellboy (Dark Horse)with Mike Mignola. His most recent work is MPH (Image Comics), with writer Mark Millar. This will be Duncan Fegredo’s first visit to TCAF, and we’re excited to welcome him to Canada!

Lisa Hanawalt is amazing! Since debuting My Dumb Dirty Eyes at TCAF 2013, Hanawalt has really made her mark at the designer of the Netflix super hit series BoJack Horseman, contributing columns to Lucky Peach magazine, and co-hosting the podcast Baby Geniuses.She is returning to TCAF 2016 as a Featured Guest to in support of her new graphic novel Hot Dog Taste Test (Drawn & Quarterly), debuting at the show!

MariNaomi is a prolific creator of autobiographical comics. She an Eisner-nominated artist, known for fantastic books like Dragon’s Breath and Other True Stories and Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22. At TCAF 2016 she will be debuting the brand new book Turning Japanese (2D Cloud). We’re so pleased to have her join us as a Featured Guest!

Noir comics master Sean Phillips is coming back to TCAF! Phillips has worked on everything from Batman to X-Men, but he’s maybe best known for his collaborations with writer Ed Brubaker: Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, and the recently-completed The Fade Out (Image Comics). This year, Sean is bringing with him “Phono+Graphic,” an art show that spotlights over 80 amazing album covers created by comics artists for vinyl records. The show tours here from the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival, and we’re excited to bring it to Canada.

With six books under his belt, Michel Rabagliati is an essential figure in not only the comics scene of Quebec, but all of Canada. Creator of essential works like Paul Moves Out, Paul Joins the Scouts, and The Song of Roland (recently adapted into a feature film!), Michel is attending TCAF 2016 to debut the English version of Paul Up North (Conundrum) and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Canadian publisher Conundrum Press. It’s sure to be a real party!

Rokudenashiko is a world-famous artist, best known for her vulva-centric sculptures. Her work challenges Japan’s prudish censorship laws, which has now led to her being twice arrested by the on obscenity charges in Japan. Rokudenashiko is attending TCAF 2016 in support of her new graphic novel and essay collection What Is Obscenity? The Story Of A Good For Nothing Artist And Her Pussy (Koyama Press), produced in association with MASSIVE.

His name is Chip Zdarsky, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to TCAF 2016 as a Featured Guest and one of our 2016 Poster Artists. Chip Zdarsky is the co-creator of the books Sex Criminals and Kaptara (Image Comics), and is writing Howard The Duck (Marvel Comics) and Jughead (Archie Comics). We’ll be revealing his 2016 poster in the next few weeks!

And these are just the first eight featured guests among the more than 400 Canadian and International cartoonists participating in the 2016 Festival.

Featured guests will continue to be announced through January, February, and March, with special guests from Germany, Italy, USA, France, Japan, and Canada still to be revealed!

In addition to the programmes mentioned above, TCAF 2016 will also feature several programming spotlights including a special tribute to the wonderful and hardworking Canadian publisher Conundrum Press, on the occasion of their 20th Anniversary, and First Second Books on their 10th Anniversary.

Additional Programs will be announced in February and March, including the CSSC-SCEBD Academic Conference, Library & Educator Day, Word Balloon Academy, Comics Vs. Games 5, Gallery Showings, Screenings, and much more. Visit TCAF online for up-to-the-minute updates.

A holiday tradition returns, as The Beguiling is once again thrilled to welcome one and all to our almost-annual Dinosaur Comics Holiday Party & Book Launch, featuring our good friend RyanNorth! This year Ryan will be joined by a star-studded list of good pals and collaborators on his projects, including Erica Henderson (artist on Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Jughead), Chip Zdarsky (writer on Jughead and Kaptara), Kagan McLeod (artist on Kaptara), and EmilyHorne, of the recently-completed comic strip A Softer World! Plus, who knows, a few special guests and a few special books might make an appearance as well! Who knows!?

All of our guests will be getting together for some holiday cheer, with a fun on-stage interview, and a book signing too! Get your comics signed, or buy comics there (courtesy of The Beguiling) to get signed for yourself or for gifts! There’s nothing better than signed comics for Christmas gifts!

Plus, returning for another year is the popular SECRET SANTA event!

If you would like to participate:
– Please bring a wrapped gift with a monetary value of about $5-$10.
– Go to the book sales table and trade your gift for a numbered ticket.
– At 8:30pm, we’ll call out the numbers, and when your number is called you’ll have your choice of the available gifts!
– Please mark on the outside of the gift if your item contains food and especially if it contains common allergens including peanuts, gluten, etc., so that people with allergies will be able to make an informed Secret Santa Selection.

THE BEGUILING is very proud to present the launch of KAPTARA #1, featuring our good pals Kagan McLeod (he draws it!) and Chip Zdarsky (he writes it!). KAPTARA is the new ongoing Image Comics series by Chip & Kagan, a sci-fi adventure that Chip calls “Like ‘Saga’ but Gay.” (paraphrasing).

Chip and Kagan will join us next-door to the shop at The Central, 603 Markham Street, where they will each have a quick drink, before signing your comics, and entertaining you with stories of its creation, probably!

Kaptara #1 is release to comic stores everywhere on Wednesday April 22nd, but you should probably buy it at The Beguiling Books & Art.

ABOUT KAPTARA:
“A space expedition goes horribly wrong because if it didn’t there would be no story! Reluctant explorer Keith Kanga and his crew crash land on KAPTARA, a world filled with danger and weird danger and dangerous weirdos! And if he can’t survive, then Earth, the place where YOU live, is doomed! Join CHIP ZDARSKY (Sex Criminals the Duck) and KAGAN McLEOD (Infinite Kung Fu) as they put the “fi” back into “sci-fi” and pretty much disregard the “sci” part in this epic story of punching and love!”